A common type of known peristaltic pump has a rotatable rotor with a plurality of roller elements, a curved surface approximately concentric to the axis of rotation of the rotor, and a flexible tube which is compressed between the surface and rollers so that fluid is moved through the tube in response to movement of the roller elements relative to the surface. A removable cover is usually provided to enclose the tube and rotors in order to avoid insertion of a finger where it might be pinched or otherwise injured, and may have on it the curved surface. Although this known type of pump has been adequate for its intended purpose, it has not been satisfactory in all respects.
In particular, in any peristaltic pump of this type, the tube must be frequently removed from the pump for purposes of sterlization. Also, wear and tear on the tube due to continual operational flexing thereof results in a need to occasionally replace the tube. This normally means that screws or clamps must be manually removed in order to disengage the cover, additional screws and clamps must be undone to release the tube, a new tube must be painstakingly inserted, the ends of the new tube must be secured with screws or clamps, and then the cover must be reattached with screws or clamps. Obviously, it is relatively time consuming to manually remove or detach all of the screws and clamps and then later insert or reattach them, and usually requires a screwdriver or other tools which may not be readily available. Further, inserting the new tube can be relatively tedious and time consuming. Moreover, there is a risk that small parts such as screws or clamps may be lost or misplaced, making it difficult or impossible to fully and properly reassemble the pump to its original condition.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a peristaltic pump in which the flexible tube can be easily and rapidly replaced, without any need for tools.
It is a further object to provide such a pump which has a minimum of parts, and which in particular has no small parts such as screws or clamps that can be lost or misplaced.
It is a further object to provide such a pump which has a minimum number of parts, and in which the parts are relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture.